The NFC is the NFL’s dominant conference yet again.
OK, it’s not as lopsided now as when the NFC won 13 straight Super Bowls from the 1984-96 seasons.
But the lone undefeated team and the only four one-loss teams all reside in the NFC as a handful of teams try to sort out a top dog in the AFC.
The Post’s power rankings for Week 8 include an oddity: The top five teams are from one conference and the next five teams are from the other.
1. Arizona Cardinals, 7-0 (Last week: 1)
Trailing 5-0, the Cardinals scored the final 31 points on the lowly Texans. Longtime Eagles star tight end Zach Ertz was welcomed to Arizona with the longest touchdown of his nine-year career, a 47-yarder on his ninth day with the Cardinals. DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt both beat their former team for the first time, with Hopkins catching a touchdown.
2. Los Angeles Rams, 6-1 (2)
People expecting the Rams to blow out the Lions in a game of quarterbacks facing their old teams discounted Jared Goff’s pride. Matthew Stafford earned the win and threw his 300th career touchdown pass. Goff had the Lions in position for a huge upset but threw an end-zone interception to Jalen Ramsey and fell to 0-14 in his career without Sean McVay as his head coach.
3. Green Bay Packers, 6-1 (3)
Good defense by the Packers or hideous offense by Washington? Somehow, the Packers held Washington scoreless on five trips inside the 30-yard line, including two inside the 5-yard line. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the sixth straight win since a surprising neutral-site loss to the Saints.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6-1 (5)
The two-time champion Buccaneers are off to their best seven-game start in history. A year ago, Tom Brady lost track of the downs in a loss to the Bears. This year, he threw his 600th career touchdown pass and had the Buccaneers ahead, 35-3, at halftime. Mike Evans caught three touchdowns, so the injured Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown weren’t missed.
5. Dallas Cowboys, 5-1 (6)
The bye came at just the right time for the Cowboys, who are expected to have quarterback Dak Prescott (calf) available next Sunday, according to reports. Loads of credit should go to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, whose first-year impact has been dramatic on a unit ranked second in the NFL in takeaways (14).
6. Tennessee Titans, 5-2 (11)
A team that lost to the Jets earlier this month is the best in the AFC. Think about that statement. Amidst the parity, the Titans are scorching hot after beating both of last year’s AFC Championship teams in a six-day span. The Titans scored on their first five possessions and held the explosive Chiefs to their fewest points since 2012 in a 27-3 victory.
A.J. Green and the Titans are the top-ranked team in the AFC right now. USA TODAY Sports7. Cincinnati Bengals, 5-2 (10)
A statement win looked like this: Joe Burrow throwing for 416 yards and three touchdowns, including an 82-yarder to favorite target Ja’Marr Chase in a 41-17 road beatdown of the Ravens. Yes, the same defense that stifled Justin Herbert’s Chargers last week. “We’re starting to earn respect,” coach Zac Taylor said. Yes, indeed.
8. Buffalo Bills, 4-2 (7)
The Bills were one play away from tying or beating the Titans in Week 6, so they aren’t far off the AFC-leading pace. And the next six games are against losing teams before a Week 14 showdown with the Buccaneers. The Bills figure to be active before the Nov. 2 trade deadline, looking for offensive line and tight end help.
9. Baltimore Ravens, 5-2 (4)
Two five-game winning streaks ended for the Ravens: One this season and one in an AFC North rivalry against the Bengals dating to 2018. Lamar Jackson was sacked five times but threw a touchdown pass for a short-lived 17-13 third-quarter lead. The Ravens allowed 28 unanswered points and still have never started better than 5-2.
Lamar Jackson runs away from the Bengals defense. Getty Images10. Los Angeles Chargers, 4-2 (8)
The Chiefs’ struggles are very real and mean the AFC West is open for the taking by the Chargers or the Raiders. The Chargers are coming off a bye with the fifth-easiest remaining schedule (opponents’ winning percentage .427), according to Tankathon.com. One thing that needs to be cleaned up is a NFL-worst 162.5 yards per game allowed on the ground.
11. New Orleans Saints, 4-2 (12)
12. Cleveland Browns, 4-3 (13)
13. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-2 (14)
14. Kansas City Chiefs, 3-4 (9)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers, 3-3 (15)
16. Indianapolis Colts, 3-4 (21)
17. Minnesota Vikings, 3-3 (17)
18. San Francisco 49ers, 2-4 (16)
19. New England Patriots, 3-4 (24)
20. Chicago Bears, 3-4 (18)
21. Seattle Seahawks, 2-5 (20)
22. Denver Broncos, 3-4 (22)
23. Washington Football Team, 2-5 (25)
24. Atlanta Falcons, 3-3 (26)
25. New York Giants, 2-5 (27)
The injury-plagued Giants played their preseason team on offense and cruised past the Panthers. Why? Because the defense feasted on maybe the NFL’s worst offensive line and Sam Darnold’s turnover bug. Daniel Jones did almost everything — 203 yards passing, 28 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving. What didn’t he do? Commit a turnover.
26. Philadelphia Eagles, 2-5 (23)
27. Carolina Panthers, 3-4 (19)
28. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-5 (29)
29. Miami Dolphins, 1-6 (30)
Zach Wilson walks off the field after getting injured on Sunday. EPA30. New York Jets, 1-5 (28)
A double whammy. An embarrassing performance off the bye week — allowing the first 17 points and trailing, 31-17, at halftime against the Patriots — plus a PCL injury to rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. The Patriots put up 551 yards and 54 points — a month’s worth of production for the Jets. Wilson is out 2-4 weeks, so Mike White will make his first career start.
31. Houston Texans, 1-6 (31)
32. Detroit Lions, 0-7 (32)
